You can have a Facebook page, a Twitter account, and even a LinkedIn business profile, but there’s no point in running a social media campaign if it’s not designed to drive leads to your business. Learn more in the eBook.Download now!

I want to ask you to take a break from the “best of 2013” look-back posts. Give the 2014 predictions and trends a rest, for now.

I don’t mean to be breaking up the party, but please, let’s not worry about where the industry has been and where it’s going and look within. If you need to be tuning into a trend, we’ll call this exercise a “selfie.”

After, I’ll get out of your way and you can gaze all you like into the rear view mirror and crystal ball. Sure, those can be worth your while. But the glass I want you gazing into for the next little spell is the mirror.

I have some questions for you, a self-administered exam. I’ll give you specific guidelines, but feel free to interpret as you see fit and be creative. The goal’s very simple: score your current content marketing and use your findings to inform a proactive course going forward. Here goes.

#CMMindsLet's hash this stuff out together. Use #CMMinds anytime to make comments or counterpoints, add your ideas and ask questions. I'm listening.

2. Do you have a content marketing strategy?

“Align content creation with business objectives and get stakeholders on board with these efforts. Once you have a clear road map, you really are following a strategy.” — Ahava Leibtag, president, AHA Media Group

Your objectives are documented.

You have specific objectives for different media.

Customer personas have been researched and documented.

Short and long-term initiatives are in place.

Content marketing is integrated with sales efforts.

You have a solid grasp of what your competition is doing.

You are sharing your strategy across company to build a content marketing culture.

At least one personal brand receives focused efforts.

You produce big resources to repurpose into smaller ones.

You produce small pieces of content to repurpose into bigger ones.

[Give yourself 1 point for each. Bonus point if you went 9 for 9.]

3. Do you have an editorial plan?

You’re a publisher now. You need an editorial plan.

You have content for the top of the funnel, the prospect’s awareness stage.

You have content for the middle of the funnel, in line with the needs of interested prospects.

You have the ability to publishsame-day content when a big story breaks.

You have a collaboration platform or tools in place.

You have social media monitoring and content distribution tools.

You are always on the lookout for tools to facilitate content creation and distribution.

[Subtract 10 if you have no CMS. Score 5 if you do. The remaining questions are worth 1 point each.]

5. Do you have a content marketing team?

In 2014 (organizations) get serious about building out their teams. Structuring and hiring content marketing and “content operations” will be a huge topic. — Jesse Noyes, senior director of content marketing, Kapost

You have a chief content officer (CCO).

You have a community manager in charge of social media.

You have a blogger.

You have multiple bloggers.

You have a webmaster.

You have an analytics expert.

You have a search expert.

You have partners in place for content marketing.

You conduct content marketing meetings.

You have a recognition system for notable contributions.

[Give yourself 1 point for each. The same person can wear multiple hats. The person can be you.]

6. Do you create a variety of content types?

Companies with 10,000 or more employees use an average of 18 tactics, while the smallest companies use an average of 11. (Content Marketing Institute/MarektingProfs benchmarks)

There’s no magic number, but you need a variety of content marketing tactics to expand your touchpoints and appeal to differing content consumption habits.

[Give yourself 1 point for each tactic, up to 10. Give yourself a pat on the back if you know which ones contribute to meeting your objectives.]

7. Are you taking social media seriously?

You have a Google+ account and have integrated authorship.

You syndicate your blog posts via one or more networks.

You contribute content to high visibility blogs in your field.

You promote your content via email.

You repurpose content for SlideShare or other high traffic content networks. You are experimenting with sponsored content to increase reach.

You have blogger outreach program (formal or not).

You use news services to distribute press releases (PRWeb, PRNewswire).

You are active on social networks daily.

[Give yourself 1 point for each tactic. up to 10. Score up to 3 for 3 or more networks beyond Google+.]

8. Do you nurture leads with email marketing?

2014: The target is the inbox and the killer app is email. — John Fox, CEO, Venture Marketing

You have email opt-in forms located strategically on your website.

You respond to opt-ins with an automatic “thanks” and or “welcome” email.